1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sunroof for motor vehicles with a first and second frame forming a cover frame and a cover which can be opened and closed, where the cover frame can be fixed in position by clamping of the roof skin in the area of the edge of the opening in between the first and second frame at the vehicle top and where a clamping mechanism allows for the maintaining of the required clamping forces between the first and second frame.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
Such sunroofs are known from the German Pat. DE-PS No. 32 41 652. For this purpose, a locking clamping connection is known as a clamping mechanism from the German Patent Application Laid Open DE-OS No. 35 45 973. According to this reference, either a web, provided with locking noses, lockingly engages into a slot of the counter frame provided with corresponding locking elements in order to furnish a clamping connection, or a particular clamping profile running around the cover frame is employed, which is placed between one frame and its counter frame, and thus the two partial frames of the cover frame are maintained in a final position clamping the roof skin. Alternatively, a first partial frame, with a C-shaped cross-section, can be locked with a second partial frame which, in turn, is adhesively attached to a third partial frame, or alternatively welded, screwed, or locked. With such a sunroof, a screwing of the first and second frame based on the clamping connection can be dispensed with. However, it is nevertheless difficult to furnish, during the mounting of the frame, the required clamping forces for a permanently fixed and tight attachment of the cover frame at the roof skin, because the first and the second frame have to be pressed with such force with the fingers of one hand against one another in fitting position as required by the relatively high clamping force at the roof skin, while the second hand has to press the clamping profile into a relatively narrow groove until a locking is achieved. The use of clamping tools, point-focally engaging between the first and the second frame and connecting the first with the second frame, is prohibited because of the danger of damaging the roof skin or, respectively, of the synthetic plastic material employed for the production of the cover frame. The surrounding clamping profile can be dispensed with if the first and the second frame can be immediately lockingly engaged with one another such that the fingers of both hands of the assembly worker are freely available for the application of the required clamping force. However, the clamping force to be furnished at a certain point becomes thereby only slightly larger and it has to be considered that the locking connection, in case of a possibly necessary dismounting and disassembling of the cover frame, is destroyed and the cover frame cannot be reemployed.